Shreveport Times
By Rep. John Fleming
October 30, 2009

“… Regardless of the version, all of the bills currently being considered will cost the taxpayer over a trillion dollars in 10 years. The financing is a savory collection of budget gimmicks and many who sign this bill will no longer be in government to take responsibility for this emerging disaster that will put a financial albatross around the neck of future generations….

There are also other common sense reforms that would drastically improve the affordability and accessibility of health care in this country. This includes concepts such as liability reform, allowing separate companies to aggregate their employees into large buying pools to get better discounts, allowing purchase of insurance across state lines to create robust competition among insurance companies, Health Savings Accounts which will transform patients into savvy consumers, and eliminating pre-existing illness limitations. These concepts are the basis of the Republican alternative, HR 3400, of which I am a co-sponsor.

With Congress and the presidency securely in control of the Democratic party, it should have been an easy ride toward final passage of some form of a massive and expensive health care reform bill. Yet, the legislation is moving like molasses on a cold day. Perhaps the overwhelmingly negative responses by citizens in the August town hall meetings have made many in Congress give this bill a second thought. Or perhaps they are finally taking note of the fact that senior citizens stand to lose care and services due to deep cuts to Medicare. Maybe the supposedly protected middle-class taxpayers, who will have the major burden of costs, are beginning to question these ideas and the promises made to them…

If any bill makes it into law based on the merging of these Democratic proposals, there are four important conclusions that can be drawn. You will pay more for the same amount of coverage, seniors will see reduced access to health care, government will have substantially more control over your life and the cost of entitlements will explode far beyond anything we have seen so far, notwithstanding the impending bankruptcies of Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.

Americans deserve sensible health care reform, not a haphazard plan, fueled by political motivation instead of genuine concern for what this country’s citizens want and need. For Americans it is still not too late to stop this impending disaster.”

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